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Two physical therapy students stand on the elevated floor of the Motion Analysis Lab. One student, the research subject, has sensors all over his body. The other student is part of the team conducting the research. A third student looks on from her spot at the computer where the sensors are being tracked.

Research in Motion

By Emily Clemenson

Danielle Updike stands on a platform in front of 18 cameras. But she's not preparing to be an actress, she is honing her understanding of the human body using UD's Motion Analysis Laboratory to capture research data.

The lab actually has three force platforms in the middle of the elevated floor. Subjects are outfitted with strategically placed sensors that track how their body moves. Depending on the research project, they might be asked to walk, run, jump, squat or cut. Movement is recorded in a 3D model on the adjacent computer that can then be analyzed and studied. 

Many doctoral students in the physical therapy program like Updike use the lab for their three-year research projects.

"Most programs of our size don't have access to a motion capture lab. That, paired with our anatomy lab, is a real asset to the program here at UD," said Joaquin Barrios, PT, PhD, who directs the lab and helps students use it to study joint movements, torques and forces on the body, and muscle activity patterns, just to name a few areas of research.

Updike, a Graduate Assistant under Barrios, and her team are examining how ankle stability problems affect other aspects of human movement during different types of squats.

"I believe this experience is going to make me a better physical therapist because it gives me an early look at the responsibilities that come with being a practitioner," Updike said. "I have always been interested in biomechanics, specifically of the lower extremities. The research we are doing will provide me with more knowledge, and that will always be useful for me in the future."

Female student smiling while sitting in front of a computer that digitizes the sensors and tracks movement.

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